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SYNDICATE CONTENTMy Philadelphia
In the My Philadelphia contest, students from Philadelphia shared their visions of the city. Check out the winning entries.
Film Contest
Great Expectations challenged area filmmakers to tell us their hopes and fears for Philadelphia. They spoke about their aspirations, their concerns, their prayers for the city. Watch the films.
The Big Canvas Issue Guide
The Big Canvas Issue Guide
A regional dialogue on arts, culture ... and your wallet
Ask someone from the Philadelphia region what they like about living around here, and a frequent response stands out: There’s such a wealth of things to do. For some, sports are at the heart of that, or recreation. But for many, this sense of richness flows out of concerts, festivals, plays, museums, historic sites, parks and libraries. All of these form a cornucopia called arts and culture.
The phrase brings to mind the tap of the maestro’s baton at Verizon Hall or the eager burble of opening night at People’s Light or Arden theaters. But it can also mean a brassy Sousa march at the township park or the excited cries of third-graders just back from dance class at the arts center.
Read more of the Issue Guide overview ...
Below, you will find an explanation of how the Issue Guide is set up along with four strategies for creating a regional fund. These four strategies are based on citizen ideas heard at the summer forums and advisory panel input.
Find out answer to questions such as: "What is an issue framework?" and "How is the arts and culture framework set up?" Also, take a look at a summary of the four approaches, crafted based on citizen dialogue at forums held throughout the region during July 2008. Those approaches are discussed in detail below. Read more ...
Approach I: Extend the Arts Experience
Arts and culture can inspire, teach, connect and heal – benefits to individuals that are real and invaluable, but hard to measure in dollars and cents.
Philadelphia is blessed with an array of great cultural activities. The problems are that information about them is spotty, and issues of cost, access, and intimidation pose obstacles. We need a regional arts and culture fund, fed by an earmarked tax, that would address those problems while supporting art-making.. Read more ...
Approach II: Nurture Children's Futures
Our resources are limited, and we must target our efforts wisely. In the case of arts and culture throughout the Philadelphia area, that means focusing on youth.
Exposing young people early, consistently and well to arts and culture will achieve multiple goals: expand their horizons; improve academic performance; inspire them to stay in school and avoid trouble, and build audiences for the long-term. What’s needed is a comprehensive, compelling, regional strategy to broaden and improve youth arts education. A good strategy would attract the needed funding. Read more ...
Approach III: Build the Creative Economy
Arts and culture should proudly claim they rightful place in the larger struggle to rebuild the Philadelphia region’s economy for a 21st-century world. The arts are key to a “creative economy” strategy, focusing on the brainpower-driven sectors – high-tech, biotech, etc. – that produce jobs and wealth in modern America. The arts are a piece of the creative economy themselves, and they help attract and retain innovative companies and talented employees. A regional competitiveness fund should be set up to fund arts initiatives as part of a larger strategy to enhance the region as a magnet for innovation and talent. Read more ...
Approach IV: Foster Quality of Community
Most people don’t experience arts in isolation; they don’t worry about government line items or institutional silos. They value the arts as part of the texture of their daily lives, something that enhances quality of life and community. Any bid for increased support of the arts must be framed in terms of community goals that people see as essential to their quality of life. Those goals may be expressed differently from city to suburb, but arts and culture should be a vital piece of a broader quality community initiative that bridges those gaps. The initiative should stress arts programs that build community, bridge divides, preserve heritage, or attack problems such as truancy, crime or family breakdown. Read more ...
Even if you missed the fall forums, you can still join the conversation. Check out the four approaches above and then rate the approaches. You can also leave your comments here on the Web site. (You must be logged into the site in order to comment.)
The work that citizens do at Big Canvas forums in September and October – including the results of citizen balloting on the four approaches outlined in this issue guide – will become the basis for a broad proposal about a regional arts and culture strategy. This proposal will be developed in consultation with the advisory committee of cultural and civic leaders who have guided The Big Canvas along the way. The proposal will be the focus on the final event of the Big Canvas, to be held the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Valley Forge Convention Center. Read more ...
(Illustrations by Tony Auth and Tim Ogline)
